Camellia: Hello again everyone. I am pleased to tell you that I've been hounding the Demoness until she completed and updated this chapter. (Drags in DSP by the shirt)
Demoness Space Pirate: Hey! I was watching 2 Stupid Dogs!
Camellia pointing a blaster at the television: Get to work or the TV gets it.
DSP: Aaaah! Okay!
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Tenchi Muyo or any Tenchi related series and plots. All I own that deals with Tenchi Muyo are a few lovely mangas, a Ryoko figurine (I finally got one), some Ryoko pics, and this fanfic which is the result of my imagination. I am not making any money from this. I do this only to entertain. I also do this for those of the Ryoko+Hotsuma legion.
Chapter 7: Hotsuma's Story! (It's not infidelity when your wife is dead)
Hotsuma walked across the dark foggy streets of Port Syn with the so far impetuous Midori by his side. "How did you hear about our crusade?" He asked.
"It's hard not to know! Everyone's been talking about it. Just a few standard months ago at the Jurain press conference the Princess Ayeka spoke very highly about your family, for someone of an arrogant hypocritical demon hating race that is." Midori said.
Hotsuma almost laughed at the woman's description of the people of Jurai. "So how is it that you managed to find me?" He asked walking by a cozy couple walking hand in hand up the street.
Midori flipped her blue to purple hair to one shoulder. "It was easy, all I had to do was tap into the Galaxy Police computers and read the reports turned in, then put 2 and 2 together." She said proudly.
"Smart girl, but you were foolish to rush head on into a situation like that." Hotsuma said referring to the scene at the bar.
Midori tossed her head back as she began to laugh. "I am Midori the magnificent. I've beaten down 300 pound space bandits single-handed. Flew mach eight through asteroid fields and defeated a six headed Dril creature of Persaru!" She boasted.
Hotsuma only stared at her then began to laugh. "What's so funny?" Midori demanded.
"I was wondering what would happen if I locked you and my wife in a room together." Hotsuma said.
"What?" Midori asked. "Locked Ryoko and me together?"
"You remind me a lot of my wife." Hotsuma said.
Midori smiled. "Smart? Incredible? Stunningly beautiful?" She asked.
"Proud, obstinate, strong, smart but doesn't think before she acts." Hotsuma said smiling at the thought of his wife.
"So you don't find me attractive?" She asked.
Hotsuma held up his hands, "I am married to a demon demigoddess. She'd kill me if I said."
Midori laughed. "I understand." She put on a more serious tone. "We'll take my ship. We don't want to be stopped by the GXP because we're in a stolen starship, now would we?" She said heading towards the landing docks.
***
After the take off Midori showed Hotsuma around her ship. He was pleasantly surprised when he saw that the female piloted a pretty well made gunship. But he would think about the ship later, for now he had something important to do.
"Midori do you have any communication devices that can reach Hiefong?" Hotsuma asked desperate to reach the others.
Midori looked over from the controls. "I have a communications dish but I'm not sure if it can reach that far. But it's worth a shot." She said pointing to a screen in the back corner of the bridge.
Hotsuma tried madly to specify the location of the Yubori to the very precise options of Midori's COM dish.
Hotsuma smiled in victory when the screen read Objective located.
Hotsuma called out to the Yubori. "Calling Yubori, come in Yubori!" Silence. "Ryoko!" Hotsuma called. "Dammit Ryoko it's me answer!" He yelled.
The screen flashed an image as someone opened the other end of the line. "I thought I was the impatient one in this marriage." Ryoko smiled.
Hotsuma smiled relieved to see his wife. "You spent seven hundred years trapped in a cave that had to teach you some patients."
Ryoko's eyes drifted to something behind him. Hotsuma turned to see Midori standing timidly behind him. "Who did you kidnap?" She asked.
Hotsuma motioned at Midori. "Midori, our new recruit."
"Oh?" The elderly Katsuhito asked as his gray head appeared behind Ryoko.
"She's very...persuasive. We've found out that Suzuka has the children at Amil." Hotsuma was suddenly cut off as the line went dead filling the screen with static. Did they hear him? Did they know that they needed to rendezvous at Amil? "Ryoko? Ryoko answer me!" Hotsuma shouted trying to reconnect with the Yubori.
"No use, something's blocked the signal to my dish." Midori said walking quickly towards the communicator.
"Is there anything we can do to fix it?" Hotsuma asked edger to reconnect with his wife.
Midori shook her head from side to side. "Even if we could fix it by the time it is done we will no longer be able to reach them." She said.
Suddenly she snapped her fingers, "I have an idea. Why don't I give this sector's GXP a line and have them contact Jurai?" Midori asked. "So they can tell everyone else."
Hotsuma through thing over. "That's clever of you." He said surprised at Midori's brilliance.
"And you said I didn't think." She said with a pout. Midori walked back over to the controls. "It should take us a day or so to get to Amil if we travel none stop. Not a problem from my Rese!" Midori said going back to the controls ready to relay the message.
***
Three days passed the Rese no where near Amil as Midori had boasted. "We have to take things slowly." Midori had said. "If Suzuka's minions see that we are heading full speed straight for Amil then you could say good-bye to any hope of finding your children."
Hotsuma had found her reasoning very logical and found for once it was he who wasn't thinking.
Hotsuma sat in the small living area as he wrote the events of his journey in a small journal.
"Oow!" Midori moaned as she entered the living area.
Hotsuma looked away from the red leather book. "What is wrong?" He asked sitting down his pen.
"I have a deadly cramp in my neck." Midori whined. "I guess it's from sitting at the controls for so long." She smiled sweetly as she rotated her stiff neck and shoulders.
Hotsuma chuckled, "Here sit down." He said patting the couch cushion beside him.
Midori looked at him suspiciously. "What are you going to do?" She asked.
Hotsuma laughed at her distrust. "I'm going to massage that cramp out of your neck." He said cracking his knuckles.
"What? No offense but I prefer massages from the professionals. One time I let someone massage me I had busies all over my back." Midori said.
Hotsuma looked at her from over his thin frames. He stood then sat her down beside him. "I do this all the time with Ryoko." He said moving her calicle hair to one shoulder.
Hotsuma's hands began to rub deeply in circles over her spine; the deep circle motion turned to a even deeper kneading. As he said he had done this many times before with Ryoko. First he would start at the base of the spine then slowly work his way up to the shoulders. As always her muscles would be tensed and practically knotted from the work they did, but it was always a joy to do this at the end of almost every workday.
'Ryoko. I wonder what havoc she's reaping on that poor old man?' Hotsuma thought to himself with closed eyes. Before he had missed her, but now he felt he would lose himself if were to reach Amil and she was not there.
Hotsuma opened his eyes drawing himself from his thoughts. He could actually see his wife relaxing before at the results of his 'magic fingers'. With a smile his fingers traveled upwards until they found the cramped muscle at the base of her neck.
"This is going to hurt for a moment." Hotsuma said.
"I can stand a little pain." She said in her cocky tone.
Hotsuma laughed at the lithe cyan haired woman as he placed his middle and index finger over the cramp pushing down repeatedly until he heard a slight pop. Before him his wife only hissed as the pain raked through her body but moaned at the end result.
"Mmm! My neck feels wonderful!" She exclaimed rolling her head back in forth with ease.
Hotsuma smiled and leaned forward to gave her a small kiss on the cheek. He inhaled the familiar sweet scent of cherry blossoms. But the scent wasn't of cherry blossoms, it was sweet yes, but it wasn't Ryoko's smell. It was then he opened his eyes to reality and saw Midori's sapphire blue eyes smiling up at him.
"I'm sorry." Hotsuma said getting onto his feet.
Midori smiled as a blush crept to her face. "Don't be." She said standing. "Since you fixed my spine I'll make dinner tonight." With that said she walked off towards the kitchen.
Hotsuma waited until she was out of sight before he released an aggravated groan. 'What I'm I doing?' He asked himself picking up his journal. 'How could I confuse her for Ryoko?' He shook his head back and forth and began to write.
***
Later that night, or whatever time it was in space, Hotsuma awoke a the sound of his stomach growling. He had ate what Midori claimed to be dinner but he needed to eat some real food, something he actually knew what he was placing in his mouth.
As he walked through the bridge to get to the kitchen he noticed the protruding wire to the communications satellite dish. On further inspection he saw the sleek middle had been recently mended. 'The dish wasn't broken, the wire was cut.' He noted to himself as he saw the smooth diagonal line that indicated it was indeed severed. If he didn't cut the wire then that meant only one other person could. 'Why would Midori cut the wire?' Hotsuma wondered to himself.
That was something he was going to figure out for himself.
Once Hotsuma reached the kitchen he found he had lost his appetite to the constant suspicion wielding in his mind. The more he thought about the more he felt compelled to confront Midori about the cut wire. But more importantly why did she repair it?
Hotsuma was still wondering what he was going to do he heard someone muttering down the hall. Hotsuma followed the sound until he found himself outside Midori's room.
Midori stood before a holographic communicator. "You fool!" She hissed. "How dare you divulge our mistress's location so easily?" She asked the unknown party on the other line.
Hotsuma kept still listening with silent rage building within him. "Milady, please understand they overpowered me. Our assailant tells that the two were Ryoko and Jurai's first prince in disguise."
"Fool! Our mistress shall have your head!" Midori roared. "The plan was that I have enough time to turn Hotsuma!"
Hotsuma felt something within his snap. It took all that he had to restrain himself from striking out at the woman.
"And you will be beleaguered for your mistake!" Midori went on.
"What mistake did I make milady?" The unknown man asked.
"Ryoko and Ryoko alone was to know of the location of mistress Suzuka!" Midori said.
"Milady the one she travels with is an old man, what could he possibly do?" The party on the others line asked lightheartedly.
"That old man is Yosho, the first prince of Jurai. Aged or not his is still a threat. Why did mistress curse me with such cowardly weaklings?" Midori asked biting onto her index fingernail.
"What shall we do now lady Manora?"
"I will just have to hasten in my work with Hotsuma; it should not take much longer. It has only been three days but I believe I could have him in the palm of my hand by the time we get back to Mistress Suzuka. Now you gather the others and return to base." She commanded turning off the screen then headed off to bed.
Hotsuma walked back to his room, he had manage to hold back his desire to destroy everything in sight upon learning what exactly had been going on. That was something Ryoko would do and he would reprimand her for. Hotsuma smiled at the memory of his wife. For her and their children he would make the better of the situation and deal with it the best way he could. Devious.
In the morning he stood in the kitchen making breakfast out of what little food she had that he thought edible.
"Good morning!" Midori called out cheerfully as she sat down at the small metal table. "You're making breakfast." She smiled.
"Yeah." Hotsuma continued to cook giving her very little regard.
Once Hotsuma sat breakfast down on the table they began to eat making small talk throughout the meal. "Wow, you're a good cook! How long have you known how to cook?" She asked.
"It's a talent I picked up during my period of pirating with Ryoko." Hotsuma said taking a sip of the very strong yet tasteless coffee. "Tell me how long have you been working for Suzuka, Manora?" He asked.
Manora jumped to her feet. "You were spying on me!" She hissed production a gun from seemingly nowhere.
"And you've been lying to me." Hotsuma said realizing how Ryoko must have felt when she found out that he belonged to Yugi.
"You've just f-cked everything up! Now I have to hand you over to Suzuka immediately." She said cocking her gun.
Hotsuma chucked in his throat as his lips slowly lifted into a devious smile. He slowly walked towards her still smiling until the gun barrel was touching his chest. "Do you think I haven't taken the proper precautions?" He asked easily intimidating her.
For the first time in all of Manora's life she actually felt scared. She knew ahead of time that Hotsuma could oh so easily over power her. She had seen the footage of him fighting before she was even given the mission. The idea of Hotsuma's power and the consequences that might follow if ever he found out who she really was made her quiver with delicious goosebumps. That had been the real reason why she was still willing to take the mission even when she knew of the Hakubi family's fate in the end.
Sighing in defeat she handed her gun over to Hotsuma. Hotsuma humphed loudly as he took out the gun's charge then in a show of his amazing strength crumpled the gun in his bare hand.
"You lied!" Manora cried out as she witnessed her beloved gun fall to the floor in crumbled pieces. "You said you already took out the ammunition!"
Hotsuma slowly shook his head from side to side. "I only implied that I took precautions. I said nothing about your gun." He said.
"Now," Hotsuma lowered his head so that Manora could see the threatening gleam in his eyes. "Tell me what Suzuka's up to."
As Manora began to talk she thought to herself of her predicament. Never before had anyone ever outwitted her. She felt herself flush with embarrassment and something else she was not sure of. How long had she been waiting for the day that she would meet such a man who could overpower in strength and wits? A few years? Maybe longer.
A light blue energy sword appeared at her neck awaking her from her thoughts. "You will get me to Amil in time to save my children." He said placing it close enough so that she could feel the heat radiating from the sword.
"It will only take a day." Was her voice quivering? Was she truly afraid? If so why did she feel oddly seduced.
Hotsuma distinguished his sword turning his back to her. "You have less than a standard twenty-four hours." Without a look behind to see her nod he walked to the bridge to make sure he had properly disconnected the communication dish again.
***
Nine hours after the confrontation in the kitchen Hotsuma sat on the bridge watching Manora carefully in complete maddening silence.
"Will you stop that!" She yelled breaking the silence she had been taught to cherish. "It isn't like I can actually do anything. You've cut the all-incoming and outgoing communications, you reprogrammed my escape pod so I can't operate it right, the autopilot is on, and you've got the self-destruct controls! I can't do nothing but cooperate!" She yelled.
Hotsuma elevated a brow over his frames. "Are you done ranting?" He asked.
Manora release a frustrated growl as she crossed her legs and began playing with the buttons on the control panel. It didn't matter which she pushed nothing would happen. Or so she thought, Manora's finger grazed over the climate control. She, being use to the sound her Rese made, could hear the air conditioner whirl with life. She cast a look at Hotsuma, he was writing in his journal again, good. She smiled turning off the air conditioner and turning up the heat gradually.
Manora almost laughed out when she felt the warmth sweeping into the bridge. She casually pried the buttons from the panel and quickly stuffed them in her brazier before Hotsuma could accuse her of anything just yet.
Little by little the heat continued to increase causing the two to shed articles of clothing or tear away parts of their clothing like their sleeves. Manora watched as Hotsuma peeled off black jacket then his sweaty purple shirt that didn't cover his abs. With a small grunt he tossed the clothes to the side revealing his muscular chest hidden beneath.
Manora stood pulling her hair up into a tail. "Where are you going?" Hotsuma asked in a tone that stated that in truth he didn't care.
"It's hot! I need something to drink before my dry mouth starts spitting out sand!" She said walking away.
In the kitchen Manora moved quickly to remove two cans of Reviva (a famous replenishment carbonated juice known throughout the galaxy thanks to it's jiggle that gets stuck in the mind until you actually get a Reviva). Manora quickly reached into one of the many cabinets of the kitchen that looked like an innocent spice cabinet. Manora reached back beyond the many spices until her fingers touched a glass crystal shaped vial with pink cloudy liquid inside. 'I never imagined I would actually have need of this!' She thought to herself. She couldn't even remember when she had gotten the aphrodisiac; she never in her life used it before.
"Well there's a first time for everything." She hissed under her breath as she rubbed the liquid on the rims of both cans.
Cleaning up her mess she walked back onto the bridge to see Hotsuma still seated in the corner writing in his book. "That took awhile." Hotsuma said still not looking up from his journal.
Manora handed him a can. "I had my head in the freezer; it's the coolest place on this inferno." She said sitting down at the controls again. From the corner of the room she could hear a click then fizz as Hotsuma opened his can and began to drink. Manora made herself look everywhere but on Hotsuma.
Hotsuma took another swig of the fruity drink. What little energy he had managed to burn nine hours before was back again.
Manora sat with her opened can untouched in her thin fingers. She looked at Hotsuma sitting in the corner. When she noticed the look in his eyes she knew he was as good as hers.
Hotsuma shook his head trying purge himself of the weird feeling. He moved as to stand but felt that his feet were laden. Hotsuma looked around. Everything started to spin as if he were on the tilt-a-whirl at the fair; the colors of the Rese mixed, infusing together creating swirls of chaotic dark rainbows.
"Hotsuma?" An almost incoherent voice called bringing the spinning to a stop.
He pulled back and tried to focus on the person in front of him. What was once a mane of blue and purple changed to a familiar cyan. The two sapphire eyes that were staring at him with worry morphed to the most brilliant color of gold. The drug was taking effecting on his eyesight. Hotsuma removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes before he looked again to the woman standing before him bent down so she could see into his eyes.
"Hotsuma?" She asked again her soprano voice changing to a rich seductively low purr. "Are you alright?" She asked smiling as only Ryoko could.
Hotsuma's mouth suddenly went dry as his hands drifted up to the face of his wife. As he tried Hotsuma could not speak; his throat and mouth too parched to speak out the name of his beloved. He brought her face down to his and with undying passion kissed her.
'Wait...something's wrong.' Hotsuma thought to himself as he ran his fingers through the spiky mane of cyan hair. He stopped short of his actions. Ryoko's hair is soft and feels like silk, the hair his fingers had just tangled in felt like any other hair, but in a way almost brittle. And the kiss. The kiss she returned wasn't warm and loving, it did not express emotions indescribable by words. It was hungry and wanting nothing like Ryoko.
Hotsuma opened his eyes to see the cyan turn back to blue and violet. He quickly pushed Manora away. "What have you done to me?" He asked feeling his heart beat race.
Manora chuckled as she held up his can. "Just an aphrodisiac I placed on the rim of your can." She said.
"No, I wiped off the can before I drunk it." Hotsuma said shaking his head back and forth until the blurred image of his wife was gone.
Manora placed her hands on her hips. "Makes no difference my dear." She said in a seductive voice. "You can only remove but so much even what little you've drunk is enough for my proposes." She smiled removing the climate control buttons from her bra and replacing them on the control panel. She quickly turned on the air until they were once again in a comfortable temperature.
Hotsuma still sat in a hunched over position shaking his head from side to side. "No." He growled with feral anger. "I won't allow you to use me just to get at me wife."
Manora sauntered seductively by him. She grabbed his chin making his dilated eyes look at her. "I'm not just using you for your wife, but for me too." She whispered kissing him on the check. Hotsuma moved as if he were about to punch her. Manora walked towards the door laughing to herself. "You might as well give in; cold showers don't work on this stuff." She smiled disappearing down the narrow hall.
Hotsuma began to shake with anger. 'How much lower will this woman sink?' He wondered as the rooms began to blur again and the delusions began once more.
When he opened his eyes he was no longer aboard the Rese, among the darkness of space. No he was back on Earth, on the bridge that allowed them across the lake to the Masaki home. Everything seemed pleasantly bright and sunny; he could hear almost every bird and every insect in the woods and mountains.
"Grandma!" A small voice called. Hotsuma looked down at his hand to see his son smiling the same bright smile as his mother as he pointed out Washu walking towards them. He felt something move from his hand, he looked away from his son to his daughter who was now running ahead to greet Washu.
Hotsuma watched this smiling inwardly at the scene as the twins still toddlers, due to their slow aging, began to hug their child-bodied grandmother.
Hotsuma couldn't help but notice how everything seems to move at a slow easy pace as if it were all a dream. Hotsuma looked ahead to see Sasami and Yugi with Ryo-ohki on her shoulder playing catscradle on the porch. Inside he saw the rest of the family seated in the living room talking about something or another. He felt himself left his hand in a wave of see you soon as he headed back to his house.
He will always remain amazed at how Yugi had managed to make the place look like the mansion he had in Tokyo all the while it was the size of any other averaged family house. Hotsuma gasped as he took only three steps and was home before their door.
"Ryoko?" He called stepping inside. He was heading upstairs when he heard a low moan from the living room. Hotsuma teleported himself there to find his Ryoko laid sideways in the armchair her legs hanging over one arm as her upper body slouched against the other arm. Hotsuma laughed to himself she must have just give the twins their bath before they left or else she wouldn't look so tired and worn.
She must have felt his presents for she opened her eyes and smiled at him. "You already took the twins over to mom?" She asked.
Hotsuma nodded. "Good, finally we get the place to ourselves." She said standing.
Hotsuma wrapped his arms around the lissom woman's frame. Words alone could not possibly express how happy he was to hold her in his arms again.
Ryoko smiled pulling herself closer to Hotsuma until their bodies touched. "Hotsuma." She said his name sweetly. By saying his name in such a loving manner he brought her face to his.
Manora smiled inwardly with victory. Hotsuma was hers; he had given in to the will of the drug. When his lips claimed hers she felt herself melt. Never had soft lips such as his ever kissed her with pure love. All bed partners she ever had were in it for pleasure alone.
Manora moaned with bliss as Hotsuma pulled away. "I love you," He said staring at her with his distant eyes. Manora's heart fluttered at these words. "Ryoko." He finished.
Her eyes popped opened. Even drugged he thought only of his family. This aggravated Manora with white rage. Without thought her hand flew to Hotsuma's cheek. The sharp crack of skin against skin echoed throughout the room.
Hotsuma awoke from the drug's power. He looked around to see he wasn't back on Earth but on Rese in Manora's room. He looked around to see Manora pressing a button on a remote control of some kind. "That should do with what little time I had to work with." She mumbled to herself tossing the remote down on the small desk of her room. She looked at Hotsuma the rage gone as she thought about the kiss.
She walked over to the semi-dazed Hotsuma and wrapped her arms around him. "Let us finish what we've started." She said.
The lingering traces of the aphrodisiac made Hotsuma lean forward to the offer. "No!" He shouted shaking his head until his golden yellow hair fell from its band flowing lose onto his back. "I will not be unfaithful to my wife." Hotsuma said.
"Oh but it's not infidelity when your wife is dead." Manora said leaning in for another kiss.
Hotsuma grabbed hold of Manora's shoulders keeping her at arms length. "Ryoko's not dead, what do you mean by that?" He asked.
"Do you actually think she stands a chance at defeating my mistress? Suzuka has thought of nothing more than Ryoko's demise. And she will accomplish her goals no matter who stands in her way." Manora said.
Hotsuma was about to respond when the Rese alerted the two that they were only seven minutes from Amil.
"Last chance Hotsuma, we can still turn around and get away." She offered.
"I will not abandon my family!" Hotsuma said.
"Hotsuma please stay with me, we can escape this together. Please Hotsuma, if you go after Suzuka she will have you and your children killed, all just to torment Ryoko." Manora said trying to wrap her arms around Hotsuma.
Hotsuma didn't move, "No Manora." Hotsuma stared inanely at his wedding ring twisting around his finger. "I will not abandon my wife and children. Even at the cost of my own life." Once Hotsuma said those words Manora pushed him away from him in appall. Hotsuma went on. "We've went through too much to be together. It took a lot for Ryoko to trust me again after I was ordered to kill her; I won't let down her trust now." Hotsuma said.
Manora quickly removed a new gun from her sleeve and pointed it at Hotsuma. "I won't let you go after them! For the sake of your own life I won't!" Manora said with tears in her eyes. "Come with me Hotsuma, we can be the greatest lovers in space."
Hotsuma slowly closed his blue eyes in defeat. His hand holding a saber flew up cutting off the barrel of the gun. "You can either help me or fight me." He said.
Manora's eyes floated with tears but she refused to let them fall. "Go on then, get your self killed!" She cried.
Hotsuma didn't know how he should act with the woman crying before him, crying for him! "Just get me to my children, it's all I ask of you." He said.
Manora sniffed as she dried her eyes, for him she would do anything, even disobey her powerful mistress.
***
Rese drifted in the distance from Suzuka's ships as Hotsuma carefully repaired the communications dish. "I've done all that I could, we can get audio but the visual is useless." He said.
Manora nodded. "Okay, I can make my report now." Hotsuma stared at her. "Lacking in certain details." She said.
"No, Suzuka may suspect something. Can you wait to make your report once you dock?" He asked.
Manora nodded. "It's not like me to do so, but I could. I'll come up with some reason why didn't use my com." She said.
"Like you severed it beyond repair?" Hotsuma asked.
"Too tame for me, more like we destroyed it in a fit of rambunctious love making." Manora said.
Hotsuma ignored the statement as his eyes fell on a familiar ship heading towards the bigger of the two dark ships. "That can't be the Yubori!" He said. "It is! Ryoko you are one wonderful woman!" He shouted.
"Wow, she got here quicker than I thought, seeing she was just outside of Hyson." She said impressed.
Hotsuma ran over to the communicator and quickly hooked on to the Yubori's signal. "Ryoko?" He called through the static. "Ryoko, Katsuhito are you there? Dammit please be there." He begged as the line gradually cleared.
"Hotsuma, we're here. Are you okay?" The elderly voice of Katsuhito said.
Hotsuma sighed with relief. "Yes, I'm fine." Hotsuma said.
"We got word that the woman you were with is a subordinate of Suzuka's." Katsuhito went on.
"I know, I've got that under control for now." Hotsuma said glancing in Manora's direction.
"Thank Tsunami you're okay." Yosho said.
The other line was silent for a second. "Hotsuma where are you?" Asked Ryoko.
"Right now I'm approaching the smallest of Suzuka's ships." Hotsuma said nodding to Manora to move on with the plan.
"Good, that solves our problem." Ryoko said, most likely to Katsuhito. "Hotsuma you get the twins while Yosho and I handle Suzuka." Ryoko said.
Hotsuma wondered when Ryoko started calling Katsuhito Yosho. "Ryoko..." Hotsuma said in a soft voice that was very unlike him.
"Yes Hotsuma?" Ryoko asked.
Hotsuma was about to say good luck but he felt that would be doubting his wife. "Beat the shit out of that bitch, Princess." Hotsuma said then cut his end of the line. That would make her happy.
Within a few minutes Manora had docked the Rese. "Okay we're here; I've done my end of the bargain." Manora said standing from the controls. "I have to deliver something to Suzuka, after that I'm out of here. I'm tired of this." She said solemnly opening the main door.
"I thank you for your help." Hotsuma said bowing then heading out.
"Hotsuma wait!" Manora cried out. He turned to see her defeated face looking onto him. "Listen I know Suzuka and once you're on that ship you're as good as dead. You know that right?" Hotsuma nodded. "Well when you get in go to your right keep going until you get to a red hall way with black doors in the third room you'll find your children." Manora said.
"Thank you again." Hotsuma said walking onto the lift.
"Wait!" Manora shouted. "Once you get to your children you had better hurry off this ship. Bendis, one of Suzuka's trusted spheres will go to Suzuka and tell her that you are here. Once he is gone you'll have less than two minutes to get out before the place explodes."
Hotsuma stared almost unbelieving. "Thank you Manora." He said running off the ramp into the fortress.
Manora turned her back to him. "Fool." She said going back onto her Rese she didn't want to be near when things started to go to hell.
Hotsuma stood in the docking entrance doors planning exactly how he would do this. He looked onto his right. The only thing that he knew was that whatever he did it had to be quick. "Ryoko dear, it seems you've rubbed off on me." He whispered levitating a few feet off the ground then began in the direction Manora had told him.
Hotsuma's advances were met with little resistance from the Shadows. One small group stood before the hall he needed to go down. "Are you Hotsuma?" The one standing before all the others.
"Yes, I am! And I'm here for my children. Are you ready to fight me?" He asked bringing his sword to life with a blaze.
The Shadows rejoiced. "Yes oh thank you!" One literally cried.
"Please just get those evil little monsters out of here." Said another.
"Make room let him by!" The first one said moving out of the way followed by the others.
Hotsuma just stood there staring with awestruck eyes, he dropped his sword. He had no idea how he was to react to that sudden change of plans. He looked at the men and women to see they all looked rather worn down. Yep the mark of the spawn of Ryoko. Feeling sorry for them he told them to leave the ship before it exploded.
Hotsuma walked down the hall trying to recall exactly which door had his children behind it. He was about to start checking every room when he heard a loud shrill scream come from one of the rooms.
"Akira!" Hotsuma shouted as he kicked in the door.
What he saw inside was something he wasn't prepared for. The room they were in was beyond that of a pigsty. The walls were dented and scorched as if someone had been firing at them. What little furniture that was in the room was either broken, missing a leg, or turn onto its side. Little Yosho sat on the floor banging a overturned metal desk with a glowing sphere trying to break it open. Akira sat on the back of a very large man kneeing him in the side. "Yee-haa! Faster horsy faster!" She said hitting him on the head with one of the broken off chair legs.
Hotsuma smiled finally figuring out why the Shadows had been so assisting. "Have you two been behaving yourselves?" He asked.
"Daddy!" Akira shouted jumping down from her 'horse' and flew into her father's arms.
"Daddy!" Yosho said in mid bang.
"Freedom!" Bendis cried flying out of little Yosho's hands. "You demons will all die!" The sphere cried out as it shot out of the room.
Hotsuma gathered up his children and held them in his arms. "Look at you two; your mother would kill me if she saw you like this." He said, he recalled Manora's warning they had to leave quickly. "C'mon let's go." He said taking Yosho by the hand and still holding Akira in his arms.
Everyone knows or was taught that the shortest distance between two places is a straight line. Hotsuma knew this as he flew his children to the hanger phasing them through the walls as they went on.
"Walls." Akira called out pointing to the glowing walls. Hotsuma cursed silently to himself the ship was about to explode with them still in it. Taking a firmer grasp on his son's hand and tightening his hold on Akira he flew faster until he came to the hanger with most of the starcrafts gone. The glow of the ship was getting brighter; they didn't have much time left.
Hotsuma looked around until he saw a open ship. "Okay come on!" He said heading them towards the ship.
"Hotsuma over here!" Someone called.
He turned to see the Rese still in its place with its engines running ready for a quick escape. Manora's voice called out again. "Hurry up we don't have much time left!"
Hotsuma teleported himself and the twins on board. "I thought you were leaving once you reported to Suzuka." Hotsuma said as the Rese began to move.
"Changed my mind. It's the least I could do; I can't stand to think of children getting killed." She said flying her Rese quickly out of the gate as the bright glow began to pulsate. "Hang on to something!" She sang as they shot into the vast space.
Behind them the pulsing lights of the sister ship quicken until it seemed it could no faster then exploded. The aftershock of the explosion traveled out reaching the fleeing Rese.
"We're going to have to make a emergency landing!" Manora reported as her ship shook with mad jolts.
"Where?" Hotsuma asked strapping the twins down into their seats.
Manora looked over the visual star map. "There." She said pointing to a red spot. "It's not far from here, and it's livable." She said guiding Rese in the direction.
"What about Ryoko?" Hotsuma asked. "She most likely thinks we're dead."
Manora stared at Hotsuma with anger in her eyes. "You just escaped with your life and the lives of your children. I don't think you can press your luck any harder today. I know this for a fact, Ryoko is stronger than want Suzuka or I thought, but you aren't. Have faith in your wife! We'll what we can once we land." She said.
Hotsuma sat down preparing for their landing. Much to his disliking Manora was right, he did all he could now the rest was in the hands of Ryoko. As he sat he began to realize how tried he was. His head bobbed twice before he fell asleep.
Manora smiled as she reached over and took Hotsuma's glasses off his face. She looked behind her to the twins had followed after their father to a world of sleep.
***
Hotsuma awoke to find himself in a different surrounding. Instead of the metallic innards of the Rese he found himself staring up at a gray ceiling. He sat up in the bed and began to look around. From outside he could hear laughter. Carefully making his way out of the house he stepped outside to see Manora watching the twins play with a dusty ball.
"Where are we?" Hotsuma asked looking around at the dessert like surroundings.
Manora turned at the sound of his voice. "Oh you're awake, good. Now you can watch them." She said. "Welcome to Tryst, most of the planet has been abandoned when word got out that Suzuka was near." Manora said.
Hotsuma yawned. "I don't blame them. How long have we been here?" He asked.
"Ten hours. Your children woke up the moment we landed, since then I barely had time to unload Rese and put you to bed." Manora said.
"They aren't that difficult to handle. But they are a task now that they are discovering how to use their powers." Hotsuma said. He called in the twins as he saw the sun slowly setting in the distance. Then returned inside the one story dessert home made of wood and clay.
Hotsuma looked over his children, the footy pajamas they had been put to bed in that night so many months ago were disgustingly filthy to the point they cried to be burned. "Didn't they take care of you two while they had you?" He asked.
Manora looked down on the dirty pair. "Suzuka planned to have them killed, I don't think no one paid much attention to their cleanliness."
"That or they were afraid of these two." Hotsuma unzipped Yosho from his dirty red pajamas. "Can you get Akira out her clothes?" Hotsuma asked.
Manora looked down on the little cyan haired girl. She looked remarkably like her father with her cold blue eyes staring accusingly at her. Did she actually know that it was she who ripped them from their home and family?
Manora only sighed grateful that the child couldn't speak but so much. "I won't harm you." Manora said to her carefully removing her arms from the pale purple sleeves. Akira floated in the air allowing Manora to slip the dingy garments off her then threw them away.
Akira still stared at her, with her arms folded before her naked little chest. Her eyes changed from accusing to a soft kind look that Manora had seen a few times in Hotsuma's eyes.
"T'ank you." She said running off in the direction of the tub. Manora smiled and walked off to make an attempt at dinner.
Hotsuma sat on his knees bent over the bathtub scrubbing the twins until there skin was pink. Manora walked in to announce that dinner was really but stopped short to watch the little boy and girl splash each other in the water. "Dinner's ready." She said.
"Thanks, can you hand me the shampoo?" Hotsuma asked as he dodged a spray of water aimed at his face. Manora handed the spiced pear no tangle shampoo she had found hidden away on Rese. "Hurry up it only taste good while it's still hot." She said leaving.
***
After everyone had finished the surprisingly good meal Hotsuma took to the job of putting the twins to bed. Little Yosho, dressed in some clothes they had found in the house, walked over to Manora. "Sing." He said floating into her lap.
"What?" Manora asked looking down at the boy that looked remarkably like Ryoko.
Hotsuma walked into the small living room with Akira in his loving arms her dozing head resting on his shoulder. "Ryoko always sings to them before she puts them to sleep. Seeing they've been about eight...nine months without a lullaby Yosho wants one from you." Hotsuma said.
"But I really can't sing." Manora said.
"Sing!" Yosho said tugging on Manora's clothes.
"Okay but you've been warned." She said.
She released a few keyless notes when Yosho jumped down from her lap. "Night." He said hurrying off to bed.
Hotsuma and Manora laughed. "Told you I couldn't sing." She said. Hotsuma only chuckled as he left to put Akira to bed.
***
Hotsuma, finding he could not sleep, sat outside in the cool night air looking up at the stars.
"You worried about Ryoko?" Manora asked holding two glasses of ice tea. "No aphrodisiac this time." She joked handing him a glass.
"Yeah. I know she's a strong woman but sometimes I can't help but worry. She's a stubborn woman who won't give up so I know she's okay." Hotsuma said.
"But there's still doubt." She sighed sitting down beside him.
The two were silent for awhile before Manora began to speak again. "For a long time my mandate has been to be the best and most loyal to Miss... Um I mean Suzuka. Now that I've given up that mandate I'm lost." Manora said. "I'm completely and totally lost, and that's the best feeling I've had ever since I could remember." She smiled. Hotsuma smiled with her. "You have thanked me over and over for what I've done for you when you really shouldn't be. Now it's time for me to thank you, in a way you've freed me." She said.
"So what are you going to do with yourself now?" Hotsuma asked taking a drink of the interesting flavored tea.
Manora smiled. "Believe it or not after taking care of your children I realized that I want to settle down and have a family of my own." She said looking up at the stars.
Hotsuma nodded. "I know the feeling. Feels even better when you actually get your wish." Hotsuma said.
Manora stood and poured the remaining bit of her tea to the ground. "Hotsuma," She said. "It's going to be hard for me to do that at first because I will never love someone as much as I love you. Do you have any idea why I've fallen in love with you?" She asked casting him a small glance. Hotsuma did not respond. "Because of the way you kissed me, even if it was meant for someone else I have never been kissed as if I was loved before. That is why." She said going inside leaving Hotsuma to himself and his own worries.
***
Days passed on Tryst. Hotsuma and Manora were outside playing with the twins when Yosho stopped in the middle of the game and looked up into the sky. Akira was doing the same. "What going on?" Manora asked almost out of breath.
"They sense something." Hotsuma said. "What is it guys?" Hotsuma asked.
Yosho began to jump up and down. "Ryoki!" He cried pointing to the blank sky.
"Ryoki?" Manora asked looking up.
A black shape descended from the sky. "Ryo-ohki!" Hotsuma said.
They all watched as the ship landed and changed into a cat-like rabbit. Ryo-ohki jumped from one twin to the other greeting them with loud mewing, licks, and a gentle nuzzle on the cheek. "What is that?" Manora asked looking down on the creature.
"Ryo-ohki. Ryoko's ship, partner, and sister." Hotsuma explained quickly. "Ryo-ohki where's Ryoko and the others?" Hotsuma asked.
Ryo-ohki mayied. Hotsuma looked to the twins to translate. "Just momma, momma fight." Yosho said.
"Ryoko's fighting who?" Hotsuma asked.
Ryo-ohki mayied again then hissed. "Bad chalk lady." Akira said her small hands glowing as her anger drew together a energy blast.
Hotsuma patted Akira on the head to calm her. He looked to Manora who only nodded in understanding. "Ryo-ohki take us to Ryoko!" Hotsuma said picking up the cabbit by the tuff of her neck and pitched her into the air.
"MMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOWWWWW!!!!!!" Ryo-ohki cried out as her body shifted to her spacecraft form.
The twins waved good-bye to Manora as they teleported to Ryo-ohki. Manora waved until Ryo-ohki had vanished in the distance. "Good luck, Hotsuma." She whispered. "I'll always love you."
End of chapter...um oh yeah 7!
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Camellia: Whoa that was much. I should threaten the TV more offended. Demoness. Demoness? (Turns to see DSP sitting in front of the TV laughing at a cartoon.) You are such a child! Please review!